Aeroplane control



F. 'L. MORSE.

AEROPLANE CONTROL.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 5. 1911.

Patented Apr. 13, 1920.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

F. L. MORSE.

AEROPLANE CONTROL.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 5. 1917.

Patented Apr. 13, 1920.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

3 wvauto'c a ttouuz 1 F. L. MORSE.

AEROPLANE CONTROL.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 5. 1917.

Patented Apr. 13, 1920.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK L. MORSE, OF ITI-IACA, NEW YORK.

AEROPLANE CONTROL.

Application filed July 5, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK L. MORSE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ithaca, in the county of Tompkins and State of New York,have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Aeroplane Control,of which improvement the following is a specification.

his invention relates to controlling apparatus for aeroplanes and moreparticularly to the warping wing surfaces that are hinged to, orotherwise flexibly connected with, the wings, or pivoted relativethereto.

In the construction of the wings of the aeroplane it is well known, thatby changing the form and section thereof the resistance and thecorresponding speed and lifting power of the machine may be varied, asfor instance with the tail portion of the wing inclined slightly upwardthe resistance is greatly diminished so that speed is increased but thelifting or climbing power is reduced, while a wing having the tailportion turned slightly downward has greater reslstance with less speedbut greater lifting power. One of the objects of my invention is toprovide adjustable surfaces and control connections therefor whereby theresistance and corresponding speed or lifting and stopping power may bereadily adjusted as desired and to suit different conditions of flying.

In the control of aeroplanes some of the principal difficulties areencountered in the operation of alighting on account of the igh rate ofspeed of the machine at the time of coming down into contact with theground. In order that the aeroplane shall be sustained in the air it is,of course, necessary that it shall be moving at or above a certainminimum rate of speed, but at the time of alighting it is desirable tocheck the speed as much as possible just before touch- 1ng the ground sothat the momentum may be overcome and the machine stopped within'theshortest possible distance from that point. For this purpose it has beenthe practice to set the elevator surfaces sharply downward at or justprevious to the time of alighting whereby the machine is tilted suddenlyupward to utilizethe resistance of the wing surfaces against the air forchecking the speed and assisting in stopping. According to myimprovement pivoted or hinged surfaces are employed to exert aresistance to the forward movement said sur- Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Apr. 13, 1920. Serial No. 178,528.

faces being hinged relative to the wings and adapted to be broughttoward a position at right angles to the general direction of flight andof the surfaces of the wings.

While these adjustable surfaces may be arranged in various ways, Iprefer to employ the usual balancing surfaces, or ailerons, for thispurpose and opposite directions in the usual way for balancing andguiding the machine, but may both be shifted in the same direction whenit is desired to vary the resistance of the machine for varying thespeed or lifting power. These and other features of my the followingdetailed description and the features of novelty will be set forth inthe claim.

In the accompanyin drawings,

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view illustrating one form of myimprovement applied to the two wings and aileron surfaces of anaeroplane;

Fig. 2 a plan;

Fig. 3 an end elevation showing the hinged connection to the wings;

Fig. 4 a plan of one form of mechanism for operating the ailerons eitherin opposite directions or in the same direction;

Fig. 5 a transverse section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 a transverse section taken on the line 66 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 a front elevation showing a modification;

Fig. 8 a vertical section of the same;

Fig. 9 a diagram illustrating the connection of the drums and the cords;and

Fig. 10, a diagram illustrating a modification.

The aeroplane structure is shown as comprising the body portion 9, thetwo planes or wing surfaces 10, and 11, with the usual cross bracing,and ailerons l, and 2, at one side, and l and 2*, at the other side,those at one side being connected together by the posts 3, and those atthe other side by posts 3", in the usual way. These opposite sets ofsurfaces or ailerons are hinged at their front edges to the wings, asindicated in Fig. 3, and are operated by separate sets of cords or wires4!, and 4 Various forms of mechanism may be de signed for operatingthese two sets of cords desired amount.

to the opposite sides of the, machine. In Figs. 1 and 4, 1 have shown amechanism comprising two parallel shafts 5, and 5*, mounted in bearingsin a suitable frame and carrying the respective drums 6, and 6, fixedthereon. A gear wheel 7, is loosely mounted on shaft 5, and meshes withgear wheel T rigidly mounted on shaft 5*, while sprocket wheel 8, isloosely mounted on shaft 5"-, and is connected by a drive chain 12, withsprocket wheel 8*, rigidly fastened on shaft 5". The shaft 5, alsocarries the usual hand steering wheel 13, and the clutch block 14, whichrotates with the shaft but is mounted to slide longitudinally thereon toengage with the clutch face of the gear wheel 7 or with the clutch faceof the sprocket wheel 8 Any suitable means, such as the hand lever 15,may be employed for shifting the clutch block. The set of cords or wires4, connected to the hinged surfaces or ailerons 1 and 2, at one side ofthe machine, is Wound on the drum 6, while the set of cords or wires 4",connected to the surfaces 1 and 9.", on the opposite side, is wound onthe other drum 6;

The hand lever 15, is normally set to hold the clutch block 14 inengagement with the ear 7 so that the same turns with the shaft 5, asthe aviator turns his hand wheel 13. By this movement it will be seenthat, as gear 7*, turns gear 7", in. the opposite direction, therespective drums 6 and 6", will be turned in opposite directions so thatthe hinged surfaces or ailerons at one side of the machine will bemovedin the opposite direction from those on the opposite side, which isthe usual operation in guiding and balancing the aeroplane. During thisoperation the shaft 5 turns loosely within the sprocket wheel 8 When,however, the aviator desires to vary the resistance of the planes tochange the speed or the lifting power or to prepare for alighting, hesimply throws the hand lever 15, and clutch block 14, into engagementwith sprocket wheel 8*, and turns hand wheel 13, in the properdirection. This movement, operating through sprockets 8, and 8 and chain12, turns both drums 6 and 6 in the same direction and through theseparate sets of wires 4", and 4, serves to turn the hinged aileronsupon both sides in the same direction either upward or downward the Thelever 15, and clutch block are then immediately thrown back intoengagement with the gear 7, for the further guiding and balancing of themachine in the usual. way. It will be observed that the teeth of theclutch faces of the sliding block 14 and of the wheels 7, and 8 are ofsufficient length so that the clutch block is at no time out ofengagement with both of the wheels, consequently there is a continuousconnection between the hand wheel and the adjustable wing surfaces, andthe control is not lost even for an instant. The clutch is also providedwith fine teeth or otherwise constructed so that it may be thrown in atsubstantially any point. WVhen preparing for alighting the aileronsurfaces on both sides will be set. sharply downward to a considerabledegree which has the effect to greatly check the speed of the machineand bring the same to a stop within the shortest possible distance afterreaching the ground.

In the modification and 9, the two drums 6, and 6 are mounted verticallyone above the other, in a frame 21, which is, itself, verticallysliclable in guides 16. In this case the gears 7 and 7 are both keyed totheir respective shafts and the slidingxclutch and sprocket wheels areeliminated. Any suitable means, such as hand lever 17 mounted on rockshaft 18, and connected by crank 19, and link 20, with the sliding frame21, may be employed for shifting theframe vertically up or down in saidguides. With this construction it is not necessary to provide separatesets of control lines or. wires to the ailerons upon opposite sidesofthe machine but the wires 4, from the drum 6, lead to the oppositeupper ailerons 1,and 1 trol lines 4, from the drum 6, lead to the lowerailerons 2 and 2", attached at the opposite ends of the-lower wing 11,as in theordinary construction.

It will now be seen that the turning movement 'of the steering wheel 13,operates through the wires 4, and 4 to swing the ailerons-at theopposite sides of the machine in opposite directions as in the ordinaryoperation of guiding and balancing the machine. When, however, it isdesirous to vary the resistance for changing the speed or lifting poweror for stopping, the hand lever 18, maybe turned to shift the frame 21,upward or downward in its guides. This movement carries both drums 6 and6 upward or downward, and through the wires 4, and 4 swings bothsets ofailerons in the same direction, either upward to increase the speed ordownward to increase the resistance and lift for climbing or forstopping.

' Other means may be designed for operating the aileron surfaces in themanner above described. As shown diagrammaticallyin Fig. 10', the gears7 and 7", and the lower drum 6, are eliminated, and a take-up device'22,is inserted in the return circuit control lines 4, leading to the lowerailerons 2 and 2 This take-up device may be a simple loop .and pulley,as indicated or any other means for taking up or shortening the line 4between the opposite lower ailerons, and the said take-up device is tobe operated by the same hand lever 17,v

shown in Figs. 7 8

while the wires or conas by means of the connecting wire 23. Thissimplifies the construction but the operation is substantially the sameas before described in connection with the modification shown in Figs. 78 and 9, and will be readily understood. If preferred it will be obviousthat the control line 4 of the lower set of ailerons may be wound on thedrum and that the take-up device may be located in the return circuitcontrol line 4, of the upper set of ailerons.

It will be obvious that the adjustable surfaces may be of sufficientlength to reach the full length of the wing, if desired, and that theymay be located at either edge of the wing or between the wings ifpreferred.

aving now described my invention,

what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In an aeroplane, the combination with one or more wings, of aileronsurfaces at opposite sides, control lines leading to said 0ppositeailerons, a drum for said control lines, a hand wheel for rotating saiddrum to turn the opposite ailerons in opposite directions, a movableframe for carrying said drum, a take-up 'device for one of the controllines, and a manuallyoperated means for shifting said frame and thetake-up device to turn the opposite ailerons in the same direction.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set In hand.

y FRANK L. MORSE.

